Device for the mechanical sealing of packages with adhesive tapes



/ 7 Sheets-Sheet 1 Sept. 21, 1965 c. NEUBRONNER DEVICE FOR THE MECHANICAL SEALING OF PACKAGES WITH ADHESIVE TAPES Flled May 15, 1962 Jn venzor: (Arl Nubnnn:r

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DEVICE FOR THE MECHANICAL SEALING 0 PACKAGES WITH ADHESIVE TAPES Filed May 15, 1962 7 Sheets-Sheet 2 Jnvenfar: (avl NW5 a Sept. 21, 1965 c. NEUBRONNER 3,206,912

DEVICE FOR THE MECHANICAL SEALING OF PACKAGES WITH ADHESIVE TAPES Filed May 15, 1962 7 Sheets-Sheet S J17 venfor: (4e! NLuBrb nmr Sept. 21, 1965 c. NEUBRONNER 3,206,912

DEVICE FOR THE MECHANICAL SEALING OF PACKAGES WITH ADHESIVE TAPES Filed May 15. 1962 7 Sheets-Sheet 4 I A! a Jnvenlar: (I Ncubrnuuv- Sept. 21, 1965 c. NEUBRONNER 3,205,912

DEVICE FOR THE MECHANICAL SEALING OF PACKAGES WITH ADHESIVE TAPES Filed May 15, 1962 7 Sheets-Sheet 5 Sept. 21, 1965 c. NEUBRONNER 3,206,912

DEVICE FOR THE MECHANICAL SEALING OF PACKAGES WITH ADHESIVE TAPES Filed May 15, 1962 7 Sheets-Sheet 6 Fig. 6

Jn venfor: -1 Mm Bro nnor S pt- 21, 1965 c. NEUBRONNER 3,206,912

DEVICE FOR THE MECHANICAL SEALING OF PACKAGES WITH ADHESIVE TAPES Filed May 15, 1962 7 Sheets-Sheet 7 J0 venfar:

Carl New Brnmw United States Patent DEVICE FOR THE MECHANICAL SEALING OF PACKAGES WITH ADHESIVE TAPES Carl Neubronner, Schlosstrasse 15, Kronberg, Taunus, Germany Filed May 15, 1962, Ser. No. 194,767

Claims priority, application Germany, May 20, 1961,

N 20,154 1 Claim. (Cl. 53-137) The invention relates to a device for closing packages with adhesive tapes and, more particularly, to such a device insuring tight and speedy adhesion of said tape to the packages to be sealed.

Devices are known which consist of a tape dispenser releasing the adhesive tape with the adhesive surface turned downward and adjustable in respect to its height. The packages to be closed or sealed travel below that dispenser and are closed by the tape which is laid onto the package. The front of the package, while traveling below the dispenser, meets the start of the tape which is present in said dispenser in a roll and had been released from the dispenser at the end of the preceding cycle and had been moistened. This starting piece of the tape comes to lie against the front of the package and, while the latter is traveling, is pressed against it by means of 'a roller, a brush or the like, traveling upward on the front of the package. As the package travels on, the adhesive tape is carried along, pulled over the package and pressed against it by the roller, brush, or similar device. As the package leaves the area of the tape dispenser, the tape is severed automatically by a knife at such a length that its end protrudes beyond the rear edge of the upper surface of the package, and this protruding piece of tape then is pressed against the rear side of the package by means of a second, swingable roll, brush or the like.

The known devices of this kind frequently display the disadvantage that the adhesive tape does not properly and reliably stick to the package but peels off so that the package opens up again. The reason for this is that the adhesive had not had time to set sufficiently, hence, is not capable of holding the parts of the package together which tend to fly apart. It therefore previously had been proposed to install a long pressure guide behind the dispenser, however, the problem had not been solved thereby in a satisfactory manner.

According to the invention, the drawbacks described above are eliminated in such a manner that, on the one hand, means known per se are provided for pressing the adhesive tapes onto the package, e.g., in the form of flat brushes, and, on the other hand, the conveyor for the packages is provided with a switch arrangement, e.g., a relay. This switch arrangement effects a temporary and predetermined interruption or stoppage of the forward movement of the package in co-action with the pressure means, and the interruption of the movement occurs at the time when the first pressure roll or brush or other pressure means acts upon the front piece of the adhesive tape and the second pressure means covers the end piece of the adhesive tape. The invention has the effect that the front or starting piece of the tape, coming to lie against the front side of the package, and the end piece of the tape, positioned against the rear side of the package, are subjected to the pressure of the pressure means for the entire time of the interruption in transport, are held tight against the same and provide sufficient time for the adhesive to set. Both the front and rear ends of the tape heretofore had caused the reopening of the package due to the lack of adhesion. Another advantage of the invention resides in the fact that the adhesive tape, after the starting piece has adhered to the package, can be pulled taut across the upper side of the package without the peril that the starting piece will come loose again. The cover parts of the package, e.g., the two halves of the upper cover of a carton, hence, are securely held in place by the tape after termination of the sealing process.

A preferred embodiment of the invention will be described hereinbelow with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, it should be understood that these serve merely as illustration, not of limitation, and that numerous changes may be made in the details without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.

In the drawings,

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of the device according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is the same view of the device, but at a different stage of operation;

FIG. 3 is a top view of the device;

FIG. 4 is a top view of the pressure brushes;

FIG. 5 shows the internal view of the adhesive tape dispenser from the drive side; whereas FIG. 6 shows the same view from the opposite side;

FIG. 7 is the wiring diagram.

Referring now to these drawings, the device as shown in FIGS. 1 through 3, consists of an adhesive tape dispenser 1 disposed adjustably with respect to height on vertical post 3, above conveyor 2. Post 3 rests in foot 3a. Conveyor 2 is driven by a motor 4, which acts thereon by way of chain drive 5. The movement of conveyor 2 is controlled by switch device 6. A carton to be sealed is identified as 7, and 8 and 9, are upper and lateral guide rails, respectively. The guide rails are adjustable in height and width on the stands 10, which, in turn, also are adjustable in height in the lateral supports 11.

As shown in FIG. 3, a cross head 13 serves for the vertical and horizontal adjustment of tape dispenser 1 on vertical post 3.

All the parts described above are assembled and are mounted on a table 12.

As presented in FIGS. 5 and 6, the tape dispenser consists of a housing 1a, wherein a roll of tape 14 is suspended rotatably on a shaft 15. The strip of tape 16, reeling off roll 14, first enters a guide 17 and is directed thereby to a separator 18. Behind separator 18, a further guide 19 is provided, by way of which the tape strip 16 leaves the dispenser. A moistener 20 is installed so as to contact the adhesive side of the tape just prior to its leaving the device.

A transport roller 21 moves the tape 16 through the dispenser 1. Roller 21 is disposed opposite a free-wheeling counter-pressure roller 22. Transport roller 21 is fastened rotatably to lever 23 which is disposed swingably on a dual-arm control lever 26. The latter is controlled by cam disc 24 and, on its opposite end, is in acting connection with shift plate 25.

The separator 18 consists of a guide 27 for lower knife blade 28 and a guide 29 for upper knife blade 30. Guide 29 is fastened by means of spring 31 so that the upper blade 30 has a certain amount of mobility thus assuring a clean cut.

Guide 27 for lower blade 28 rests on a roller 32 and, at 33, is hinged to lower blade holder 34. Holder 34 is fastened rotatably to shaft 35 and effects, through blade bolt lever 36, in co-action with cam disc 24, the open position of knife blades 28 and 30.

The tape dispenser aggregate can be put in operating position, as shown in FIG. 5, by means of lever 37 having a handle 38, either manually or mechanically through actuation of compressed air cylinder 39. FIG. 6 shows that lever 34 is disposed on the same bolt or pivot 40 as does cam disc 24, thus acting by means of the cam disc,

simultaneously on the blade bolt lever 36 and on control lever 26. For the actuating connection of compressed air cylinder 39 with lever 37, a gear box or transmission, consisting of gears 41, 42, 43 and 44, is provided which, by the action of the compressed air cylinder, is moved by lever 45, and the latter simultaneously actuates'a rod 56 which acts on the pressure brushes (see FIG.

The brushes 46 and 47" serve to press the strip of adhesive tape onto the package to be sealed. As shown in FIG. 4, these brushes have large surfaces which extend over the entire width and over a considerable length of the adhesive tape strip. Brush 46 is disposed in a brush holder 48 which is pivotably connected, by way of a linkage 52, a rod 53 and another linkage 54, to compressed air cylinder 39 and lever 37 (FIG. 5). This connection, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, is brought about through a further linkage 55, positioned on the same shaft 54a as is linkage 54 and actuated by lever 45, by way of rod 56'. A spring 57 serves to put brush 46 in pressure position.

Brush lever 51 is swingably disposed on shaft 58 which also carries, as shown in FIG. 6, a lock disc 59. The latter is moved, by way oflinkage 60, by a key 61. The free-wheeling pressure roller is shdwn as 62.

The modus operandi of the device according to the invention will now be described with reference to the wiring diagram in FIG. 7 and to the drawings as described above.

To put the device in operating condition, the main switch, shown in FIG. 7 as S1, is actuated.

When the package to be closed or sealed, e.g., a carton, is set on conveyor 2 (cf. FIGS. 1-3), the package actuates switch S2 which thereby is switched on and, in turn, actuates a magnet coil S3. This has the effect that the piston of compressed air cylinder 39 (FIG. 5) is moved forward, thereby acting on lever 45 which, by way of gears 41-44, moves lever 37 from position A into position B. Lever 37, which also can be actuated manually, is held in that position by lock slide bar 63, which locks into a bolt 64. Through lever 45 simultaneously rod 56 is moved whereby, by means of linkages 55 and 54, brush lever 49 is lifted, i.e., is put into the position shown in FIG. 6. Lever 37, furthermore, acts upon cam disc 24 and, by way of the latter, on blade bolt lever 36, which, by way of lower blade holder 34, moves the lower blade 28 into open position. The movement of cam disc 24, finally, effects a downwards slipping of roller 26a of lever 26 over cam shoulder 24a so that transport roller 21 comes to lie against adhesive strip 16 and transports the same out of the device for a given, predetermined length.

When the package to be sealed is moved below the tape dispenser in the direction as indicated by an arrow in FIG. 1 and at the bottom of FIG. 6, the package, upon enter:-

ing guides 8 and 9, first presses shift plate 25 into a horizontal position and then meets a piece 16a of the adhesive tape. The latter had left the discharge opening of the dis.- penser and had been moistened at 20 prior to meeting the carton or package, and now comes to rest against the front of the carton. meets key 61 which is swung upward and thereby causes brush 47, by means of parts 58 and 60, to come to rest on its front. Brush 47, in this position, fully covers, and extends beyond, the starting piece 16a of adhesive tape strip 16 which rests against the front of the carton and presses it tightly against the carton. When the carton engages key 61, a terminal switch S4 simultaneously is opened, and the current to the time relay S5 is interrupted. This has the effect that brush 47, during the time of no current flow, is held at the starting piece 16a of the tape 16 under pressure so that the adhesive has the opportunity to set. The current may be interrupted for any predetermined length of time, and the device can so be adjusted at will.

After expiration of the predetermined interruption or stoppage during which time the adhesive of the tape held Simultaneously, the carton or package by brush 47 on its entire surface has set, the package continues its travel in the direction ofthe arrows in FIGS. 1, 2 and 6, thereby pulling the adhesive strip taut over the length of the carton. During this movement, the brush 47 first slides over the front edge and then along the upper surface of the carton which presses it back into its initial position shown in FIG. 6. Simultaneously, the carton leaves the area of theshift plate 25 which thus slides away on its rear edge.

This has the eifect that bolt 64 (FIG. 5), by way of lever 65, is brought into unlocked position, which, in turn, causes lever 37, by the action of spring 66, to he carried back into position A and to release the parts holding blade 28 in open position, so that knife blade 28 advances and cuts the adhesive tape. I

When lever 37 returns to position A, brush lever 49 simultaneously is released, and brush 46 comes to rest on the carton. During the further travel of the carton, brush 46 moves closely over the upper surface of the carton thereby pressing the adhesive tape against it and flattening and smoothening the same. When brush 46 reaches the rear edge of the carton, it glides down the rear side and comes to rest against it, putting the protruding rear end of the tape against the rear side of the carton and pressing against it. When that position has been attained, as shown in FIG. 2, a switch S7 opens so that the conveyor again is stopped in order to allow the necessary time for the adhesive at the rear end of the strip to set. The time of the stoppage is determined by condenser S8 which is fed by a rectifier S9. After the termination of this stoppage, the carton begins to proceed further when a new carton is put on switch S2, and then leaves the device. When no further carton is put on S2, the sealed package also can be removed manually from the device. If another carton is set on switch S2, the process as described repeats in the same manner.

The compressed air cylinder 39 is wired in such a manner that it, too, returns to its initial position when key 61 moves back.

The timing of the conveyor stoppage is accomplished by conventional means.

The invention is not limited to the use of the device described in this specification and in the drawings, but can be utilized with any and all devices for the sealing of packages with an adhesive tape strip which consists of a tape dispenser arranged above a conveyor. The device according to the invention, therefore, may vary in its construction, component parts and their arrangement in order to accommodate sealing machines which differ from the one described above. The salient feature of the invention is the combination of flat means applying pressure to the surface, preferably flat brushes, with a switch arrangement, e.g., a relay, so that the forward movement of the package is interrupted for a predetermined time at the time when the start and the end of the adhesive strip are pressed against the carton by said means. The flatness of the pressure means is required in order to cover the entire surface of the tape when pressed against the package during the interruption of the travel of the package. The temporary stoppage or interruption during the application of the pressure to the tape ends is decisive for the setting of the adhesive so that the sealed package will not fly open again.

I claim as my invention:

In a device for the sealing of packages with adhesive tape, having a conveyor; means for moving said conveyor; 21 package traveling thereon; a tape dispenser disposed above said conveyor; tape contained in said dispenser and emerging therefrom in the form of a continuous strip; means for putting said tape on said package; and means for cutting said tape at a predetermined length; the improvements which comprise, in combination, said means for putting said tape on said package consisting of flat brushes covering the entire width of said strip, pivotally connected to said dispenser and adapted to contact, in

succession, the front, upper surface and rear of said package; means, disposed in the path of said package, for controlling movement of both brushes into position for close contact with said package and out of contact therewith switch means disposed on said conveyor in the path of said package; relay means connected to said switch means; said switch and relay means controlling movement and stoppage of said conveyor for a predetermined length of time; said brushes urging said strip against the front of said package while said conveyor is at a stop, due to contact with said switch means, and proceeding, after the conveyor has resumed travel, over the upper surface of said package while carrying and smoothening said strip and urging it against said package in sealing position; said brushes further proceeding over the rear edge of said 2,999,342 9/61 Keely 53-137 X 3,045,402 7/62 Keely 53-137 X 3,074,213 1/63 Geifroy 53-137 X FOREIGN PATENTS 746,624 3/56 Great Britain.

GRANVILLE Y. CUSTER, JR., Primary Examiner.

BROMLEY SEELEY, FRANK E. BAILEY, Examiners. 

